History - Colonization of the Moon

Advocates of space exploration have seen settlement of the Moon as a logical step in the expansion of humanity beyond the Earth.

Manned exploration of the Lunar surface began in 1968 when the Apollo 8spacecraft orbited the Moon with three astronauts on board. This was mankind's first direct view of the far side. The following year, the Apollo 11 Lunar moduleresearch work and bring back sample materials. landed two astronauts on the Moon, proving the ability of humans to travel to the Moon, perform scientific

Additional missions to the Moon continued this exploration phase. In 1969 the Apollo 12 mission landed next to the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, demonstrating precision landing capability.

Go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_the_Moon